28032019 - NATIONAL ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP:All clear for Lawan; fresh crisis brews over Gbaja

12— Vanguard, THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2019
Invest more in stopping,
not fighting corruption,
Senate tells FG
Success Adegor: Wadoo makes
case for conducive learning
environment in Isoko land
By Chiamaka Uba
A
United States-based
philanthropic
organisation, Wadoo
Progressive Union, has
warned that the failure to
create a conducive learning
environment for children
could make them
instruments of insecurity in
future.
President of the group,
Mr. Kenny Ogaga, who
said this when the
association donated
By Henry Umoru
ABUJA— THE Sen
ate, yesterday,
asked the Federal Government
to increase its
investment level if it must
nip in the bud, the issue
of corruption, just as it
said that the government
should pay serious attention
to stopping corruption
and not fighting it.
According to the Senate,
it has become imperative
to invest in ending corruption
if the government
must achieve the desired
results of blocking funds
leakages and boosting the
nation’s economy.
The Senate also picked
holes in the budgetary
proposal for 2019 by the
Federal Government for
Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission,
EFCC, and wondered why
the anti graft commission
should have a budget proposal
of N22 billion while
the Office of Auditor-General
of the Federation,
AGF has N3 billion.
Speaking, yesterday, in
Abuja when the Auditor
General of the Federation,
AuGF, Mr. Anthony Ayine,
appeared before the Senator
Matthew Urhoghide
(PDP, Edo South) led Committee
on Public Accounts
for 2019 budget defence of
the OAuGF, Urhoghide
and his members specifically
urged the Federal
Government to ensure adequate
funding of the Office
of Auditor General of
the Federation, if it’s truly
serious in ending corruption
in the country.
Urhoghide maintained
that it will be difficult for
the government to
achieve any meaningful
result in its fight against
corruption when the
AuGF, which should prevent
the act of indiscipline,
is underfunded
while the EFCC has adequate
funds for its activities.
learning materials to
Aradhe Primary School in
Isoko South Local
Government Area of Delta
State, said the creation of a
conducive learning
environment for children
should be prioritised.
It further urged the state
government not to relent in
its efforts at responding to
the plight of children.
He said: “If we do not
care for the children now it
will lead to insecurity
tomorrow. I recall the story
of Success Adegor of
Okotie-Eboh Primary
School in Sapele, who was
driven recently from school
because of examination
fees before providence
smiled on her. There are
many other children like
her out there who may not
be that lucky like baby
Success. We must act to
create a conducive learning
environment because a
stitch in time saves nine.”
RIVERS: INEC plans to relocate collation
centre, PDP alleges
•It’s not true, says INEC; refuses
request for fresh election
PORT HARCOURT—
The Rivers State
chapter of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, has
raised the alarm over an
alleged plot by the
Independent National
Electoral Commission,
INEC, to relocate the
collation centre for the
governorship election from
Hotel Presidential to an
undisclosed location.
It also said the
commission planned to do
so at the behest of African
Action Congress, AAC, and
some forces.
State Chairman of the
party, Mr. Felix Obuah said
the party had it on good
authority that INEC was
acceding to the demands of
a political party and some
powerful persons.
Consequently, he
cautioned the commission
not to allow itself to be used
to ignite a constitutional
crisis in the state.
Reacting to the allegation,
INEC dismissed the claims.
Chief Press Secretary to
the INEC Chairman, Rotimi
Oyekanmi, who reacted on
behalf of INEC said: “I can
tell you categorically that
there is no truth in that
claim. INEC collation
centre in Rivers will not be
moved . Please disregard
the rumour.”
Meanwhile, INEC has
assured that it is going
ahead with the planned
collation of results on April
2.
INEC’s National
Commissioner in charge of
Information and Voter
Education, Mr. Festus
LAUNCHING: From left—Amine Djouahra, Senior Sales & Marketing
Manager - B2C, Canon CNA; TY Bello, Canon influencer; and Omotayo
Omodia, Country Manager, Canon Nigeria at the launch of new
products, the EOS R, PIXMA TS9540 and ZoeMini in Lagos.
Okoye, who said this while
reacting to a petition by the
AAC, said it would not stop
the collation in line with the
party’s request.
He declared that political
parties lacked the power to
stop INEC from performing
its constitutional
responsibility.
He said: “No party or
individual can stop us from
carrying out our
constitutional
responsibility. We would
commence collation of
election results. We are
going ahead with that. Our
advice to all the parties is
to work with INEC to
conclude the exercise.”
AAC governorship
candidate in the
state,Biokpomabo Awara,
had told newsmen in Abuja
last Tuesday that he had
submitted a petition to
INEC demanding the
stoppage of the collation of
the governorship election
results as scheduled.
Rather than go ahead
with the collation of the
results, he urged INEC to
conduct a fresh
governorship election in
Rivers.
Meanwhile, members of
85 political parties on
Wednesday, marched
through the streets of Port
Harcourt, celebrating what
they described as the reelection
of Rivers State
Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo
Wike.
They urged INEC to
diligently conclude the
collation and announce the
results.
INEC presents Certificates of Return to Okowa, Otuaro
...Delta, Edo, Bayelsa lawmakers too
By Festus Ahon,
Gabriel
Enogholase &
Emem Idio
A SABA—THE
Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC,
yesterday presented
certificates of return to
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa,
his Deputy, Mr. Kingsley
Otuaro, Speaker of the
Delta State House of
Assembly, Chief Sheriff
Oborevwori and 24 other
Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP House of Assembly
candidates who were
elected in the March 9,
2019 governorship and
State Houses of Assembly
election.
INEC, however, refused
to issue Certificate of Return
to one PDP and three
candidates of the All
Progressives Congress,
APC on the ground of
pending court cases.
While receiving his
certificate of return in
Asaba, Okowa
commended Deltans for reelecting
him, pledging a
stronger Delta in the next
four years.
He further called on
Deltans to actively
participate in governance
in the next four years.
His words: “We cannot
do the job alone. With
collaborative efforts and
partnership, the job would
be easier."
Accompanied by his wife,
Dame Edith and a retinue
of aides, Okowa urged
Nigerians to be committed
to democracy. He held that
Nigeria would be better
when things are done right.
Similary, INEC
presented Certificates of
Return to 23 newly-elected
House of Assembly
members in Bayelsa State.
The certificates were
presented by the state
Resident Electoral
Commissioner, REC, Mr.
Monday Tom, at the
Commission’s
headquarters in Yenagoa.
The certificates were
issued to 23 candidates,
with the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP,
having 19, while the All
Progressives Congress,
APC, has 4.
He said the remaining
Constituency Brass 1, was
yet to be concluded owing
to a court order restraining
INEC from doing so.
In Edo State, the
commission issued
certificates to the 24
candidates who were
elected into the House of
Assembly.
Presenting the
certificates, state INEC
Resident Electoral
Commissioner, REC, Mr.
Emmanuel Alex - Hart,
urged aggrieved persons to
approach the election
petition tribunal for redress.
C’River: Ayade seeks FG’s
support on construction of dams
By Ike
Uchechukwu
C ALABAR—Governor
of Cross River, Prof
Ben Ayade has called on the
Federal Government to
support its quest in the
construction of dams across
the state in order to achieve
a viable agro sector.
Ayade solicited the
support yesterday in
Calabar when he received
the Permanent Secretary of
the Federal Ministry of
Water Resources, Mrs.
Comfort Ekaro, who was on
a maiden tour of Nigeria’s
12 basin development
authorities.
His words: “There is a
relationship between water
abundance and
hospitality. If you don’t
have adequate water, you
can’t provide that kind of
hospitality that is
expected.
“Cross River is the
cleanest and the neatest
state and you can’t do that
in the absence of water.
“Cross River is
participating under the
accelerated development
programme, we are also
actively involved in so
many value chains
particularly maize, yellow
maize, soya bean; cocoa,
banana and rice.
“We have built industries
that will give full start-toend
process application and
value addition."